Ms Mohammed was speaking at the world leaders’ meeting on women, co-hosted by China and UN Womenwhich aims to revive the spirit of the 1995 Fourth World Conference on Women – at which the Beijing Declaration was adopted – and to advance gender equality and women’s development globally.
“Women’s rights are human rights” said » the deputy head of the UN, recalling the positive atmosphere of the 1995 conference and the impact of the Declaration which “opened the way to progress”, and thanking China for hosting the event, as well as the Member States who “kept this flame alive”.
Despite the progress made over the past 30 years, the pace of change has been slow: a report released by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) in September warned that none of the gender equality goals are on track, with an estimated 708 million women excluded from the labor market due to unpaid care work. And 351 million women and girls risk being trapped in extreme poverty in 2030.
“We are only five years away from the deadline of our 2030 project. Sustainable Development Goals“, said Ms. Mohammed. “It’s late. We are running out of time to keep the promise we made thirty years ago.
Beijing’s roadmap to equality
The deputy UN chief recalled that the Declaration is a road map that has resonated in all major UN frameworks since its adoption, including the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development and the Pact for the Future.
The agreement, she continued, shows that women’s empowerment – including safety and the rights to education, health care and full political participation – must be at the heart of the design of national visions and plans: “In every negotiating room, in every budget we write and in every policy we design, gender equality must be our organizing principle. »
There is a financial imperative to advance gender equality, as Ms Mohammed highlighted in her speech: UN studies show that by ensuring women and girls gain quality education and digital skills, 30 million people could be lifted out of extreme poverty and some $1.5 trillion could be injected into the global economy in just five years.
The deputy UN chief concluded by emphasizing the need to increase the number of women in leadership positions. “We have proof,” she said, “that where women lead, we see more lasting peace, more profitable businesses and more inclusive policies. »
Originally published at Almouwatin.com
